Improvement in telegraph-magnets



PATENTED JUNE 2 S. F. VAN CHOATE.

TBLEGRAPH MAGNET.

Nemen STATES ATENT OFFICE.

SILVANUS F. VAN CHOATE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN TELEGRAPH-MAGNETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,774, dated June1863; anteda-ted April 26, 186:2

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, SILVANUs F. VAN CnoArn, of the city, county, andStateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMagnets for 'Telegraphc and nxher lnrposcs; and I do hereby declare thatthe allowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same,reference being had to the accmnpanying drawings, forming part of thisspecitication, in which- Figure lis a front View, full size,of my magnetarranged with sonnders connected for the purposes oftelegraphing andreceiving inessages by sound. Fig. 2 is an Aend view, full size, of Fig.l. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of Fig. 1, taken in'a plane parallelwith Fig. 1f and at a point represented, i n Fig. 2 by sectional line 23and 1. Fig. I 1s a plan of that part of my magnet which Ais constitutedof a fixed or natural magnet, showing its formation and conneetions withthe coils removed. Fig. 5 is a planof the electro or soft-iron part 'ofthe core, showing its formation, and representing its internal or tlatface. Fig. 6 is a horizontal sec tional viewof the bearings of the axleofthe armatnrevlever taken in a plane at a. point, as shown by sectionalline 5 and 6in Fig. 2,A and :1t-right angles *tolthe vertical sectionalline 3 ande in the same figure. Fig. 7 is a View of one of the arms ofthe cores, showing at 10 its segmental end, and at 12 the vrabbeted 'endto be halved onto the part of the core marked H in Fig. 5: Fig. S is avertical section ofeone of the coils or helices, taken at rig-ht anglesto Fig. 1, and at a point as represent-ed by sectional line Land 2 inFig. 1, showing the different layers of wire, and also sect-ionsf'thesegmental parts ofthe arms a. a., the armature L, the barrel or cylinderd of the coil, and the space b between the arms for the play ofthearmature. Fig. 9 is a vertical section of the largest of the twoSounders, taken ata central point and at right angles to its horizontalplane.

Figures and letters of reference indicate different parts, with theirconnections, in each iignre, which will presently be described in a moredetailed manner.

My invention consists in certain improvements in magnets, Sounders, andrelaymapy nets, whereby I reduce verymaterially the option of themanufacturer-of the coils.

amount of battery necessary to effect any given desiredamonnt ot'magnetic force, and I am enabled to'operate effectively these sounderswhen placed directly on the main line, without the use ofrelays or localbatteries, as heretofore deemed generally necessary.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe in detail its construction and operation, whichareas follows:

First, the coils J J, Fig. I, are construeted 'of three layers o rportions of wire of twol different sizes. The figures 1 1 in Figs. 3`and 8 represent two layers of larger size or coarse wire, and 2in thesame iignrcs a layerof finer wire;- thesizes of wire employed to be attlIie n Fig. l two coils are arranged end to end, instead of in theordinary way, parallel, and mounted each upon the two segmental terminations or arms of soft iron attached 'to and forming parts of the twocores, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.' Alt-houghtwo coils are arranged inthis figure, only one may be used and thc armature passed en trelythrough and suspended at each end.

The core of my magnet, andthe most peculiar feature of it, consists oftwo parts,`plans of which are shown i'n Figs. 4 and 5, and end views ofthesame, in Fig. 2, (marked H G,) and further details in Figs. 7 and S,(marked 10 and l2, and a a.) Fig. 5 is one part, which I call electro orsoft-iron part, formed nearly in an oblong shape, with a slight openingat one side. The open side is constructed of two segmental pieces, whichI call arms, terminations,or-fextremities,77 (marked W WV W W',) onwhich are to be placed the coils. These arms. are connected with the twoshort sides of the U- shaped bar and secured by screws, (marked P PinFigs. 2,4, and 5,) the only reason for forming these joints beingconvenience in construction.A The other part o t the core, a plan ofwhich is represented at Fig. 4, is all of steel, except the twosegmentalor half-round arms W YV YV -W, which are soft iron. In shapeand size, up to-the arms, this steel part is the same as the soft-ironpart, the only difference being that, for convenience two thin plates, k1c?, secured by brass screws at T T, Fig. 4, are combined, as seen inthe end View at X vin Fig. 2. Above the arms it is diieientfrom thesoft-iron part. Instead of terminating at the arms W W, the outsideplate of steel is continued on farther, as at 9 in Fig. 2, and anotherU-shaped piece, 'F,.Figs. 2 and 4, slottedat each end and secured by'screws c d e d, forming a figure (if the arms W W were rcmoved aud thepart 9 were notbeut at right angles with the part G) something likeasqnare,

which -might be extended by means of the` slotted connections into anoblong square. These two parts of steel F and G are hardened and chargedwith magnetism. An end view of this steel part, with its connections,

with a slotted connection is two-fold. First is for the purpose ofpresenting a perfect circuit to retain the permanent magnetism soemployed, and that time and action shall not diminish its force; second,that the magnetic force in practice may be concentrated or diffused at..pleasure, by reducing in the former case, or enlarging in the lattercase, the magnetic circle, as the U-shapcd bar, before described, ismoved through its slot inwardly toward the core, or withdrawn outwardly7from the core. These two parts, the steel, ig. 4, and the soft iron,Fig. 5, are placed together, Fig. 2, the insulator U between and securedby two brass screws, (marked s s in Fig. 1,) and the whole Secured byscrewsu u set in a groove or mortisrcut in a base, 1', Fig. 3, hollowedout at the bottom and mounted upon round knobs or le V` s at thecorners. y

The soft-iron arms W XV in Figs. 2 and 4 and W W in Figs. 2 and 5 arearranged with their flat surfaces face to face, two on a side,

and their segmental or half-round surfaces on tside, with the spacebetween forming a cylindrical shape to tit the hollow in the coil, as ata a in Fig. S, presenting an open space or slot between them all the waythrough the coils, in which space or slot the arma-ture L, Fig. 1, isplaced, a side and'lengthwise view of which may be seen at L in Fig. 3,and an end view, with the space b for its vibration, in Fig. 8.

The armature is of soft iron and extending nearly or quite the wholelength of both of the coils, with small brass rivets v o fv 'v in Fig. 3at each corner, the heads of which project a trifle, for the purpose ofpreventing the iron l surfaces of the armature and those of the armsfrom coming in contact. lt is attached .by a screw in the center upon auaxle, g, Fig. 3, oscillating in adjustable screws h h, Fig. 3, supportedin the bearings shown in section in Fig. 3, front and end views at Figs.l and 2, and in plan at Fig. 6. At the opposite end of this lev j fromthe armature is attached the hammer ,which strikes the sounders, orrings a hell, or breaks and closes a circuit of electricity, accordinglyas applied.

In Fig. 1 A and B are two sounders, and an end view is given in Fig. 2,and a sectional view of one is represented in Fig. 9. Theyare arrangedfacing each other and at right angles to the vibrating plane of thehammer, which plays between and strikes against their faces.

Bells to give alarms, or any suitable contrivance for making a noise orsounds, or points may be properly arranged for breaking and closing acircuit substituted in their place, and adjustable screws are affixed,as at f a It in Fig. 2, for the purpose of moving the souuders nearer toor farther from the face of the hammer, and thereby diminish or enlargeat pleasure the distance through which the hammer. is moved, andshifting the sounders, accordingly as a. weak or strong current ofmagnetism is being employed.

The bowls of the Sounders are mounted upon suitable posts,asatiiinFig.2, and may be made of any kind ofhard w-ood, ivory, bone, rubber, orany kind of material suitable for the pur` pose, with a face made ofsteel, ivory, or any suitable hard snbstanceanswering the purpose, 4andsecnredto the hollow part by a screw, c', andfnut d', Fig. 2, the upperedge ofthe bowl to be alittle beveled away, and an opening at the top,(marked l5 in Fig. 1.) The face-plate is of the same diameter, or nearlyso, as that of the bowl, and is raised a littleabove the top of thebowl, so that the bottom may hang clear (see Fig. 3) and the screw e'd', Fig. 2, put about a. third ot' the way from the top to the center ofthe bowl, and immediately, or Y ening or loosening the screw c' d',Figs. 2 and.

9. One ofthese Sounders is made a littlelarger than the other, for thepurposes ofdistinguishing the forward and backward stroke of the hammer,or to designate'the open and closed circuits. The posts i i, Fig. 2,mounting 'the sounders, areA secured toV a slidin'gmovable piece, E,Fig. 2, which is attached to part E', Fig. 6, `by means (ifa screw, c s,Fig. 2, work ing in slot e s", Fig. 6, and the other side by the screwvm in Fig. 2, and the whole, with the armature-axle bearing-piece E',Fig. 6, mounted on and secured to -post K, Fig. 2. .The adjustable-screwm in Fig. 2 passes through the upper section of post K in a properthread, with one extremity made to revolve in post i, Fig. 2, and bymeans of shoulders to move post i and its fixtures, already described,inwardly or outwardly from a center line, and change accordingly theangle of the space through which the vbell or sounder and the armaturebelow it moves under the magnetic forces. This screw m, together withthe permanent or iuduced magnetism in one part of the core, (themagnetism serving in the capacityof thespring and the screw as a meansof regulating the same, is a substitute for the spiral or other springheretofore used for adjusting the armature of an ordinary magnet.

Points for breaking and closing acircuit of electricity may be combinedwith, or may be substituted for, thesonnders, ifdesired, or bells togive alarms may be similarly arranged, or any suitable contrivance formaking anoise or sounds.

It will be seen that the armature of this magnet is placed inthe centralpart, and extends nearlyand may entirely, if necessary-the entire lengthof the coils, and it may be farf ther extended and arranged to receivethe magnetic force in the projections ot' the cores beyond the plane ofthe ends of the'coil, even to the completion of a circle, and that itsmovement is exactly, or nearly so, at right angles to the direction ofthe movement of the armatures of the ordinary magnets, and that itsmotion is laterally, or iu the same direction as that of the circuit ot"electricity or wire on the coils,instead of the'ordinary way.

The magnetic influence in thesoft-iron arms attached to the steel part.of my magnet is caused bythe induction of the permanent niagnetisininthe direction marked by the arrow 1 in arm W, 4, instead of followingt-he whole. circuit of bar F in the direction ot' ar` row 2.

The polarity of the magnetism in the steel must be adjusted with aproper regard to the direction ot the winding of the wire upon thecoils, and also the direction of the current to be passed through oraround the coils, so that when the current or'circuit is closed throughthe coils the intluence upon the permanent magnetism shall be to turn itback or disperse and the armature is carried over to that side, Sie., sothat the two sides ot` the same core in the same coil and with the samecurrent are alfected in two ways, and in a direction contrarj7 oropposite to each other; or, in other words, one side of the core iscaused to attract thc armature when the current is passed into or aroundthe coils, and the other side of the core attracts the armature when thecurrent is withdrawn from the coil. Thus the one. set of softiron armsbecomes an electro-magnet under the inuence of the current, while theother set of the sqft-iron arms ceases to be a penna -forth.

3. The a.bo\'ede scribed mode of combining Sounders and the severalparts thereof with the adjustable screws and movable lase, to regulatethestrolre of the hammer and cada-pt such Sounders to the varyingstrength of the magnetic forces that may be working the ar mature, asabove specified.

4. Theuse in magnets of bells or Sounders of different sizes--th at is,one smaller than the other-as and for the-purpose set forth.

5. The sliding movable bar, F, Fig. 4, with its slotted connections, asandl for the purpose set forth.

6. `In the construction of z magnet, the use of the parts described-vG'F W W and H W '--iu combination vith the armature L, lever j, andbells or sounders A and B, as and for the purpose specified.

S. F. VAN CHOATE. Witnesses:

JAMES E. FERNALD, PETER B. MoR'r.

